Schwalbe Hans Dampf Tire

“Hans Dampf vs Minion”

The Good: Braking traction, high volume, weight, cornering grip

The Bad: Not much wrong to be honest

Overall Review:

I've done about 1,000 kms on this tire, all in the dry and with it on the front only, enduro style and set up tubeless with Stans (Evo Pacestar 2.35x26). Personally I rate Maxxis Minion as a benchmark and I think the comparison will helpful guide for other riders, I usually use a Minion FR 2.35 EXO maxxpro for reference (old style, pre TR).

If someone could genetically clone the HD carcass but put a Minion tread pattern it with whatever makes the HD stop, it would be a real winner. Also Maxxis need a talking to, their new TR Minion FR 2.35 is too heavy for real trail work, mostly suitable for freeride/DH, handing the market to Schwalbe. Dear Schwalbe have our goose that lays our golden eggs, love Maxxis. All being said if you carve hard the Minion slips less and bites harder, however the braking grip of the HD can save your neck. Both are great tires with no clear winner. On trails and running tubeless I prefer the HD, if was doing a day with an uplift service then Minion.

“Enduro in it´s maximun way”

The Good: Cornering, weight, rolling resistance, comfort, predictable

The Bad: Wear, not recommendet for muddy terrain, price

Overall Review:

I have mounted the snake skin tubeless version on my Cannondale Jekyll and the result coudn´t be better, the first thing i noticed descending in rockie singletracks is the great confort even rolling fast, is easy to keep the confidence when cornering because is a predictable tire thanks to a soft knobs, big volume it also helps in a way, i compared with a Conti Mountain King 2.4 and the difference is visible to the naked eye.Despite its appearance when pedalling it behaves even better like some trail tires, so your legs gonna apreciate.

The main enemy of this excellent tire is the mud, the small space between the knobs don´t help at all, i broke my head several times triyng to evacuate the mud. It also the wear, you can see in just few week, but isn´t somethint worriyng .Thereinforced folding bead is another thing, i discovered a 2 cm cut probably made by something very sharp and i have to put a patch inside the tire to make sure this orifice wouldn´t get bigger.

“Rocking tire for the Rockies”

The Good: Bloaty tire volume without the weight. Super grippy in the corners. Tubeless setup with little effort and holds the pressure well without burping at lower pressures.

The Bad: Price and long term wear. After 1000 miles trail riding I noticed the side knobs were tearing off from hard cornering

Overall Review:

Lots of great things to say about these. I ran them for the first part of the season front and rear at 2.35 width on a Transition Covert 29er. they are well spec'd this way from Transition as the stock tire. Great job Transition! They hold corners, roll fast and climb well. I can say enough about the volume of the 2.35 it is huge huge huge compared to Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5. Yep they are bigger! Plus they are 200 grams per tire lighter. I will be going back to these next season after I put some more miles on the Minions. The TrailStar compound is the real deal. I liked its fast rolling middle and grippy edges. The tire has a great round profile with no gaps in tread to leave you hanging as you drop the bike into the turn. They drift in a very controlled and predictable way. With qualities like these...LIGHT, GRIPPY and HUGE BLOATY VOLUME you start sprinting into the void without being choosy about which line. Great All Mountain or Aggressive XC tire but I might not go as far as DH tire as the casing is nowhere near as beefy as the Minion DHF. I ride lots of rocky trails and haven't had any problems of sidewall failure or punctures. I should have mentioned that earlier.

“Next Generation Enduro/Downhill Tire”

The Bad: Price. All around tread pattern not the best for loose conditions.

Overall Review:

The Super Gravity Hans Dampf (26in x 2.35) tire is an evolutionary step forward in downhill tire construction. The innovative carcass, reinforced folding bead, snakeskin protection and tubeless ready design creates an enduro/dh tire that is 250 to 300 lighter than a comparable 2 ply tire. I was eager to find out if this tire was tough enough to handle real world downhill trail conditions.

I've ridden these tires (Trail Star Front, Pace Star rear set up tubeless) on rocky, loose downhill trails, super fast single track and bike park jump lines. What I noticed right away was how fast these tires rolled compared to my 2 ply 2.5 Minions! The reduced rolling resistance is remarkable. I was also impressed with the durability and stability of the Hans Dampf SG tire. The tire did not squirm under hard cornering or burp out tire sealant on hard landings or rocky sections. So far, the lighter construction has not compromised performance.

If you need an all around tread pattern tire for enduro, dh or aggressive trail riding, I highly recommend the Hans Dampf Super Gravity tire.